Now Is Not The Time: Demonstrating “Care in the Right Moment”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In my never-ending quest to simplify and clarify my understanding of reversed cards* in a tarot reading, I’m always seeking fresh insights even when it has the unnerving side-effect of creating yet another iteration in my expanding repertoire. At the moment I’m re-reading The Tao of Thoth by Ethan Indigo Smith, and I’ve come up with a couple more.
In his discussion of the Hermetic principle of “vibration,” Smith mentions the need to “demonstrate care in the right moment” in order to consciously encourage the desired outcome in a matter of interest. (I once fancifully dubbed this initiative — in what I figured was faux-Latin — “carpe momentum.”) Elsewhere in the same essay he talks about the “rule of coming and going,” and the need for “balancing the oscillation of our vibration” (that is, subduing its perturbations). All of these have a bearing on the phenomenon of reversal, which I will attempt to explain.
One of the standard meanings for a reversed card is “delay.” This is fine as far as it goes, but it is a bit too generic for my taste, particularly when faced with the need to take some kind of decisive action. I came across just such an instance in a recent reading; two consecutive reversed cards advised me that not only would there be a delay in realizing my goal, but that there needed to be one. In other words, the time for action was not yet ripe, and I recognized that after seeing the combination. I’d venture to say that this is often the case with reversal rather than its presence merely conveying stymied advancement. The cards are telling us to take a step back and carefully reconsider what we’re about to do; where we might have been reckless or aggressive in our approach, we must now think about being more circumspect. On reflection, we may spy a more favorable opportunity down the road.
Regarding the “rule of coming and going,” we can envision an upright card as “coming on strong” in its forthright presentation, whereas if it is reversed it is instead wary in its stride and discreet in its expression. We need to align ourselves with its prudent trajectory in order to make the most of the energy signified by the nature of the card, which isn’t so much altered by the fact of reversal as deflected or redirected and therefore less easily assimilated (it won’t hit us over the head but it might well sideswipe us on its way out). Getting a fix on a target that is departing rather than approaching is a different ballgame since speed, distance and vector must be accounted for (if only figuratively). Not only is it moving, it is diminishing. But this needn’t be a source of anxiety for the reader; this is where a good handle on storytelling inspiration, imagination and ingenuity can come to our rescue.
The idea of “balancing the oscillation of vibration” between the upright impact of a card and its reversed potential is a useful way to look at it. That vibration “is what it is” in all cases, but it can be nuanced or inflected by the change in orientation, making its interpretation less straightforward and in need of harmonizing with the whole. I like to tell readers who choose not to use reversals that they’re “missing half the fun.” At the same time they could be denying themselves the advantage of spotting less-obvious “byways of inquiry” that may not be detectable via a more literal (and consequently less impressionistic) take on its meaning. At the very least, reversal should make us think in creative ways about what we’re seeing. There may be a whole forest behind those trees!
*Reversal is a contentious topic among experienced tarot reader. I tend to side with Yoav Ben-Dov in assuming that “Everything is a sign,” although I have to acknowledge the contrary opinion that “If everything is a sign, then nothing is a sign.” In other words, it just becomes “white noise.” But — while I can understand the distinction — I’m not quite to the point of such philosophical hairsplitting. I look at reversal in two ways: it doesn’t completely overturn the normal frame of reference, just tweaks it, but in another sense it doubles my interpretive palette.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on October 17, 2024.
